Customer Reviews
The Hobbit!!!!!!!!!!!! - By: L. Heywood, 02 Feb 2008 
One of the best books to ever enter our world, perfect for everyone who is a fantasy book lover. Once again thank you to J.R.R.Tolkien.
This is a story that grows with the reader. - By: B. Chandler, 25 Aug 2007 In a mythical or maybe just forgotten time, many creatures lived in places like the Shire, home to Bilbo Baggins, Hobbit. Hobbits are comfort loving creatures with no real sense for adventure. A knock on the door & Bilbo's life is about to change.
Callling this book children's book is like callling "Alice in Wonderland" [see "The Annotated Alice"] a children's book. Yes children can read this book & it is fun. How ever there is a lot more to this book than a cute story. And it has alll the depth of the other Tolkien works with the exception of being shorter.
Many people look at this story as a prequel to "The Lord of the Rings", where in reality it is a stand-alone story with a perfectly good beginning, middle, & end. When you read "The Lord of the Rings" there is enough description to forgo "The Hobbit." Personallly, I find that reading The Lord of the Rings first gave me the in-depth background to better appreciate The Hobbit.
Many of the creatures & adventures will put you on the edge of your seat. You will recognize the personalities & grow along will Bilbo as he faces new challlenges as he learns to deal with life.
A good book to read first would be "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell. Then you get a clearer picture of why the story progresses as it does.
Story fantastic, illustrations disappointing. - By: John, 25 Mar 2007 
I bought this for my children. The story I know & love - & I recommend it without resservation.
This special edition comes with a paper dust cover, but the cover illustration is not printed on the hardback underneath. Inside the drawings are mostly black & white. The others are lacking in colour & impact. Mr Baggins & the other characters are illustrated in a not very appealing way, which I think will not live up to most people's mental image. Overalll, I felt the llustration diminishes rather than enhances the book. It might have worked in the past, but now a new benchmark for the imagination has been set by the Lord of Rings movie, & the illustrations in this book look pale & weak compared to the images of Tolkein characters found in the movie.
In a hole in the ground - By: E. A Solinas, 20 Mar 2007 "The Hobbit or There & Back Again" is the first story of Middle-Earth that was ever read by the masses, after a pre. And to this day it remains a beloved favorite due to Tolkien's exceptional writing, realistic & lovable characters, & the fantastic, complicated world with its unlikely hero: a fuzzy-footed hobbit.
Bilbo Baggins lives a pleasantly stodgy & dull life in the Shire, in a luxurious hole under a hill ("It was a hobbit hole, & that means comfort"). But his life is completely turned upside-down by the arrival of the wizard Gandalf & thirteen dwarves. The dwarves, led by the exiled king-in-waiting Thorin Oakenshield, want to regain the Lonely Mountain (and a lot of treasure) from the dragon Smaug, who drove out the dwarves long ago. Why do they want Bilbo? Because Gandalf has told them that he'd make a good burglar (even though Bilbo has never burgled in his life).
So before Bilbo is entirely sure what is going on, he is being swept off on a very unrespectable -- & dangerous -- adventure. Bilbo & the Dwarves battle goblins & spiders, are nearly eaten twice, are captured & Bilbo is forced to riddle with the treacherous, withered Gollum, & ends up escaping with a magical Ring. But even after these obstacles, the dragon Smaug is still in the Lonely Mountain, & Bilbo is not entirely sure what to do to deal with this enemy.
Author J.R.R. Tolkien had been crafting his mythos of Elves, Dwarves, Wizards & Men for years before writing "The Hobbit," but "The Hobbit" is the first story that people had the opportunity to read. It began as a line scrawled on a sheet of blank paper, & then into a bedtime story for his children.
And even though it's overshadowed by "Lord of the Rings" & "Silmarillion," this book is an essential link. It's definitely sillier & lighter, but it provides the springboard for a lot of the stuff in "Lord of the Rings" -- especiallly the magical Ring that Bilbo finds in Gollum's cavern.
It's definitely not the same as his later works -- Tolkien's Elves are goofier & less dignified, & his dwarves are more unintentionallly comical. But Elrond hints at the full majesty of the Elves, & Thorin Oakenshield is still the most dignified, proud & impressively flawed dwarf there is. The last chapters of the book hint at the epic majesty of "Lord of the Rings," & some of the same victory/loss themes. And of course, the idea that even little people -- like a hobbit or a bird -- can change the world.
Tolkien's writing is quick & light, while providing sufficient detail to let you picture what's going on, but also letting his words paint the landscapes, the atmosphre of Mirkwood & Laketown, & the menace of the goblins. The dialogue is less influenced by Old English, & the pace is a lot faster (not surprising, since it was originallly read to his kids before bedtime).
Bilbo is a likable little guy -- he seems to be the last person whom you'd expect to be a courageous hero, but he shows incredibly strength & smarts when he's under pressure. Supporting characters like Thorin, Bard the Guardsman-turned-King, the king of the wood-elves, & even Smaug himself are never cookie-cutter -- each is given his own quirks & strengths.
With the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy solidly entrenched in pop culture, J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" is now receiving a well-deserved boost of attention. Rarely has a bedtime story for children become such a beloved story.
Great book and artwork - By: James, 30 Dec 2005 This is truly a great book, the artwork is fine pencil sketches & well worth examaning & the read itself is in my opinion the best in the series.
Still great books don't get me wrong but the later Lord of the Rings books seemed to just often drag explaining details that didn't have any bonus being explained & just left the reader skimming text. Whilst this book keeps the reader constantly captivated always keeping the imagination going.
All ages will appreciate the characters & the story telling.
